Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Bay of Pigs-II?

Just
when it appeared that the Castro’s Cuba was a battered raft on the verge of
coming apart in stormy waters, President Obama arrived on the scene to throw it
a lifeline. Cuba’s dictators were bailed
out just as falling oil prices had them on the proverbial ropes. The country
had been kept afloat in past years by more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day provided by Venezuela. Then, as
oil prices were plummeting recently, it was widely speculated that Venezuela
might turn off the spigot of oil largess to its island buddy in order to bolster its
own revenues.

Now,
with dramatically relaxed U.S. travel
restrictions, the little economic pressure remaining on Cuba (“Cuber” if you
are a Kennedy fan) after six years of
Obama’s reign will disappear altogether. As it is, remittances and
travel from the U.S. to Cuba now exceed $4 billion a year.

As the
U.S. has eased off its economic pressure on Cuba, the Castro regime has gotten more repressive, because they are more
confident that they personally will weather the storm.

Those who think that the U.S.’s decision to
open relations with Cuba will significantly improve living conditions for
Cuba’s citizens are sadly mistaken. It is illegal for Cuban citizens to engage
in commerce with foreign nationals, and all hotels and tourist destinations are
controlled by Castro. Additionally, up to 90% of wages earned by Cubans who
work in the resort or tourism industry are confiscated by Cuba’s controlling
Castros…i.e., the government.

None of
this sits well with Cuban nationals, who are also bitterly angry over Obama’s
reference to “President Castro.” There haven’t been elections in Cuba for over
half a century. Cubans have never had a vote that could have legitimized
Castro. The Cuban nationals understandably consider it a stunning slap in the
face to have the twice-elected President
of the United States call their country’s dictator “President.”

The
Castros didn’t change. They didn’t blink. They showed that a tiny,
impoverished, third-world island could stare-down the United States of America
in an era when she has lost her moral compass.

Another
coup for castro.

The Bay
of Pigs? We’ve just thrown more pork
at Cuba. It won’t work out any better for the U.S.- or Cuba’s citizens- than it did
the last time we tried to help them.

Daily Trivia Quiz Answer

Today's Answer: Andrew Jackson. ("Poll" got so worked up before the service he apparently had to be removed from the premises, as he was cussing long and loud).

Q) What words appear on the front of the penny, nickel, dime and quarter, alongside the likeness of presidents?

A) "Liberty" and "In God We Trust"

An Ode To Life

Appreciate all you have, as it- and you- will soon be gone. Leave no heartfelt words unspoken, no sweet gesture incomplete, no act of love undone. Love your spouse with passion and abandon, your kids with patience and understanding but also a firm guidance. Love also the truth, no matter how hard. If pursued by enough people with enough courage, it really will set us free.

And don't forget, we didn't ask to be born. We didn't create ourselves. We are not gods. There is a higher power.

Fireworks of the Mind

Write It Up

Whence Shall Come Another?

True Then, True Now

"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."- Winston Churchill

Time Well Wasted

The power lies within your hands To do with what you may But the hourglass is filled with sands Of endless yesterdays